Electrical plug unit embodying duplex outlets



0d- 24, 1967 R. D. GOODMAN v 3,349,363

ELECTRICAL PLUG UNIT EMBODYING DUPLEX OUTLETS /h Filed Deo. 1o, 196s/ Za 24 /2\L 32, f so 7 L7 C ZZ r 3g/078 \Zg 32 52 44 68 38 23 ri l 32 541U 55 as @Q26 3455 Z6 52 f U 36 /A//EA/To: l Ro/ALD D. 60Go/WAN,

United States Patent O 3,349,363 ELECTRICAL PLUG UNIT EMBODYING DUPLEXOUTLETS Ronald D. Goodman, 5432 Itaska St., St. Louis, Mo. 63109 FiledDec. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 513,090 8 Claims. (Cl. 339-155) .The presentinvention relates generally to the electrical outlet and plug ar-t. Moreparticularly, the invention pertains to a novel plug unit adapted forinsertion into a conventional grounded outlet of high voltage, said plugembodying duplex outlet means of reduced voltage suitable for theoperation of household appliances and the like.

As is well understood, many household air conditioners require 220-voltcurrent for effective operation, some require current of higher voltage.n the other hand, most appliances such as lamps, radios, clocks and soon, operate on a current of 110 volts.

In many sections of the country where air conditioners are in generaluse, the employment of them usually is confined to the summer months, sothat for the major poi-.tion of each year, they are disconnected and arepl-aced in storage. Consequently during such times, the high vol-tageoutlet install-ations serve no useful purpose Whatever.

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide arelatively small compact unit in the form of a plug adapted to dividethe 220-volt current so as to provide ltwo 110 volt outlets forservicing appliances during the cool and cold weather seasons. The two110-volt outlets are accessible from the front of the unit comprisingthe present invention, when said unit has been plugged into the220-vol-t outlet or receptacle, and are spaced for the convenient entryinto each of them of a conventional plug provided on the end of yanappliance cord.

The unit comprising the present invention includes what will be termedtwo conductor prongs and one ground prong. These three prongs arearranged in a pattern corresponding to that of the sockets inconventional three hole 220-volt receptacles. Each of the two 110-voltoutlets includes the usual pair of metallic spring contact clips, eachclip being lodged in a well or socket provided therefor in a portion orsection of the plug l'body. Access means are provided for the readyinsertion f, ground clip of each of the 110 volt outlets.

All elements of the invention except the three prong-s are containedwithin the body of the unit, said prongs projecting beyond one sidethereof as will appear. The body of the unit is molded ofnon-conductive, preferably plastic material, whereas all of the otherincluded elements are fabricated of conductive metallic material.

The invention is illustrated on a sheet of drawings that i accompaniesthis specification, and a more comprehensive understanding of itsinherent features and advan- `tages may be had from the detaileddescription that follows with reference to said drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view on a reduced scale, of aconvention-al three prong high voltage outlet installation mounted on adwelling wall or the like;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar .to FIGURE l, with the plug unit comprisingthe present invention applied to said installation;

3,349,363 Patented Oct. 24, 1967 ICC FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of saidplug unit;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view thereof;

FIGURE 5 is a prong-side elevational view of the plug unit on anenlarged scale;

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 6 6 ofFIGURE 5;

IFIGURE 7 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 7-7 ofFIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line S-S of FIGURE5; and

FIGURE 9 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 9 9 of FIGURE5.

As hereinbefore indicated, the present invention is designed for usewith high voltage outlet installations such as that illustrated inFIGURE 1. The exemplary installation there shown is a conventional oneadapted to service air conditioning apparatus, is mounted on a w-all W,includes what is commonly referred to as a three hole receptacle R, andthe usual cover plate P. The receptacle R is shown to have a pair ofopposed angularly disposed conductor prong receptive openings or socketsa and b, and a ground prong receptive opening or socket designated c.

The plug unit incorporating the concepts of the present invention isdesignated in its entirety 4by the numeral 10. It includes: anon-conductive rect-angular body generally designated 12; a rstconductor prong 14; -a second conductor prong 16; a ground prong 1-8;and duplex outlet arrangements, these being a first outlet constructiongenerally design-ated 26 and a second outlet construction generallydesignated 22.

The body 12 of the unit 10 is gener-ally hollow and open on its prongside face 23 a-s shown. And as viewed particularly in FIGURES 2, 3 and4, it includes: -a top wall portion 24; a bottom wall portion 26; -aleft end Wall portion 23; a right end Wall portion 30; and a front wallor face portion 32. Extending from the front wall portion I32 toward theface 23 of the unit and along the longitudinal centerline thereof, is aprong supporting section generally designated 34, .that as best seen inFIGURE 5, is of a generally T-shaped configuration. Preferably asillustrated, a plurality of integral web or rib segments 36 are providedin support of the section.34 in customary fashion. The prong-sidesurface 38 of section 34 lies in a plane inwardly of the surroundingprong-side face 23 of the plug body 12, as best seen in FIGURES 6 and 8.Consequently as should be apparent, when the unit 10 is plugged into areceptacle R, all conductive elements of said unit except the prongswill be spaced from the plate P.

The conductor prongs 14 and 16 are angularly disposed relatively to theground prong 18 in a pattern corresponding to that of the sockets a, band c of the FIGURE l receptacle R. It will of course be recognized thatFiG- URE 1 presents the standard pattern of openings for three holereceptacles. The three prongs 14, 16 and 18 project beyond the plug body12, and each of them terminates at its inner end in a base segmentintegrally formed therewith.

Thus, the prong 14 has a base segment 40 having a circular opening 42therein, and said base segment is rigidly secured to theprong-supporting section 34 by means of a screw 44 that extends throughsaid opening and into engagement with said section.

The prong 16 has a base seg-ment 46 having a circular opening 48therein, and said base segment is rigidly secured to the section 34 bymeans of a screw 50 that extends through said opening and intoengagement with said section. y

The ground prong 18 hasa base. segment 52 having two circular openingsS4 therein, and said base segment is rigidly secured to the central legportion 55 of section 34 by means of a pair of screws '56 that extendthrough said openings and into engagement with said leg portion.Integral with the base segment 52 is a first lateral extension or arm58, and agsecond lateral extension or arm 60. As best seen in FIGURE 5,these arms extend in opposite directions, the arm 58 toward the outletconstruction 2t) and arm 60 toward the outlet construction 22. The endportions 62 and 64 thereof are formed normal to the main body portionsof the arms 58 and 60. Each end portion has a circular opening 66therein, and is rigidly secured to the prong-supporting section 34 bymeans of a screw 68 that extends through said opening and intoengagement with said section.

The outlets 20 and 22 are of generally conventional construction, exceptthat as seen to best advantage in FIG- URE 6, they are incorporated inthe plug body 12, whereas conventionally, outlets are incorporated inreceptacle assemblies. Thus as demonstrated particularly in FIG- URE 6,the prong-supporting section 34 of the plug body has formed therein fourlongitudinally spaced rectangular wells or sockets 70, 72, 74 and 76,these being provided along the longitudinal centerline of said section.Each well or socket is provided with a prong entrance opening 78 thatconverges into a prong guide slot 80 in conventional fashion.

The outlet construction 20 includes a spring conductor clip 82 lodged inthe socket '70, and a similar clip 84 lodged in the socket 72, the clip82 being the ground clip. The outlet 22 includes a spring conductor clip86 lodged in the socket 74, and a similar clip 88 lodged in the socket76, the clip 88 being the ground clip.

It yis kto be noted as clearly shown particularly in FIG- URE 6, thatthe four conductor clips are so dimensioned that their respective webportions 83, 85, 87 and 89 project beyond the surface 38 of the bodysection 34. It is also to be noted (and this arrangement is obviously ofcritical importance), that as FIGURE 5 clearly shows, the base segment40 of prong 14 is maintained in positive engagement with the web portion85 of clip 84 by the screw 44, and the base segment 46 of prong 16 ismaintained in positive engagement with the web portion 87 of clip 86 bythe screw 50. Furthermore the end portion 62 of conductor arm 58 ismaintained lin positive lengagement with the web portion 83 of clip 82by one screw 68, and the fend portion 64 of conductor ar-m 60 ismaintained in positive engagement with the web segment 89 of clip 88 by:another screw 68. As previously stated and asr shown in the drawings,the arms 58 and 6'0 together with the base segment 52 are integral withthe ground prong 18.

In use, the unit 12 would simply be plugged into a 22() volt receptacle`R such as that exemplarily shown in FIG- URE l, with the vconductorprongs 14 and 16 entering :the sockets a and b respectively, and theground prong '18 simultaneously entering the socket c. The resultant:appearance is illustrated in FIGURE 2, where the two .11G-Volt. outlets20 and 22 are shown kready for use, each :adapted to receive aconventional 11G-volt plug.

In view of the foregoing description and the drawings, it is believedthat an `adequate presentation for a co-mprehensive understanding of myinvention Yhas been given. Obviously, modification of some of theillustrated struc- 'tture is possible without departing from the spiritand :scope of the invention. Wherefore it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the precise details of constructionillustrated and described.

What I claim is:

1. An electrical plug and outlet unit comprising:

a generally hollow rectangular body molded of nonconductive preferablyplastic -material including a top wall portion, a bottom wall portion, apair of end wall portions and a front wall portion, all of said wallportions terminating in a continuous face portion;

a prong-supporting section of generally T-shaped configuration extendingfrom the front wall portion to a plane inwardly of said face portions;

a plurality of rib segments in support of the prongsupporting section;

first and second conductor prongs and a ground prong rigidly mounted onthe prong-supporting section and projecting beyond said face portion;said prongs being arranged in a pattern corresponding to that of theprong-receptive sockets in a three hole high voltage receptacle;

first and second longitudinally spaced electrical outlet constructionsprovided in the prong-supporting section, each outlet constructionincluding a spring conductor clip and a similar ground clip;

electrical continuity means between the first conductor prong and theconductor clip of the first outlet construction;

electrical continuity means between the second contact prong and theconductor clip of the second outlet construction;

electrical continuity means between the ground prong and the ground clipof the first and second outlet constructions; and

means for the ready insertion of the prongs of a conventional lowvoltage plug into engagement with the clips of each outlet construction,said means consisting of entrance openings that converge into prongguide slots formed in the front wall portion of the unit, each of saidopenings being in alignment with one of said clips.

2. An electrical plug and out-let unit comprising the structure recited,in claim 1, wherein said prong-supporting section is formed on thelongitudinal centerline of the unit, and wherein the plurality of ribsegments in support thereof extend from said top and side wall portionsof the body to said prong-supporting section.

3. An electrical plug and outlet unit comprising the structure recitedin claim 1, wherein the pair of contact prongs each includes an integralbase segment maintained in positive engagement with the contact clip ofone of said outlet constructions by means of a screw extending through acircular opening provided in said base segment into engagement with theadjacent portion of the prongsupporting section aforesaid of the unitbody.

4. An electrical plug and outlet unit comprising the structure recitedin claim 1, wherein the ground prong includes .a base segment rigidlysecured by a pair of screws to an extension leg of the prong-supportingsection, said base segment having a pair of oppositely extendingconductor arms formed integrally therewith, each arm terminating in anend portion normal to the arm and rigidly secured to theprong-supporting section in positive engagement with the ground clips ofsaid outlets by means of a screw extending through a circular openingprovided in said end portion and into engagement with the adjacent Yportion of the prong-supporting section aforesaid.

5. An electrical plug and outlet unit comprising the structure recitedin claim 1, wherein each of the pair of clips included in said first andsecond outlet constructions is lodged in one of four spaced rectangularsockets that are formed in the prong-supporting section of the plugbody, said clips being so dimensioned that their web portions projectbeyond the prong-side surface of said prongsupporting section.

6. An electrical plug and outlet unit comprising the structure recitedin claim 1, wherein the electrical continuity means between the firstconductor prong and the conductor clip of the first outlet constructionincludes said prong, a base segment integral there'with and ynormalthereto, the web portion of said clip, and a screw extending through ahole in said base segment into engagement with said prong-supportingsection of the unit body, said screw serving to maintain the extremityof said base segment in positive engagement with said web portion of theclip.

7. An electrical plug and outlet unit comprising the structure recitedin claim 1, wherein the electrical continuity means between the secondconductor prong and the conductor clip of the second outlet constructionincludes said prong, a base segment integral therewith and normalthereto, the web portion of said clip, and a screw extending through ahole in said base segment into engagement with said prong-supportingsection of the unit body, said screw serving to maintain the extremityof said base segment in positive engagement with said web portion of theclip.

8. An electrical plug and outlet unit comprising the structure recitedin claim 1, wherein the electrical continuity means between the groundprong and the ground clip of the first and second outlet constructionsincludes said prong, a base segment integral therewith, a pair of armsintegral with the base segment extending laterally therefrom in oppositedirections, an end portion formed normal to the main body thereof oneach arm, the web portion of each ground clip, a pair of screws eachextending through one of a pair of circular openings in said basesegment and into engagement with a leg portion of said prong-supportingsection of the unit body, and a pair of screws each extending through acircular opening in one of the end portions of said arms and intoengagement with said prong-supporting section of the unit body, saidscrews serving to maintain the extremity of each of said ends inpositive engagement with the web portion of one of the ground clips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,351,631 6/1944 OBrien 339--222,565,075 8/1951 Har-charek 339--155 2,792,557 5/1957 Dowick 339-143,005,179 10/1961 Holt 339--159 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.PATRICK A. CLIFFORD, Examiner.

1. AN ELECTRICAL PLUG AND OUTLET UNIT COMPRISING: A GENERALLY HOLLOWRECTANGULAR BODY MOLDED OF NONCONDUCTIVE PREFERABLY PLASTIC MATERIALINCLUDING A TOP WALL PORTION, A BOTTOM WALL PORTION, A PAIR OF END WALLPORTIONS AND A FRONT WALL PORTION, ALL OF SAID WALL PORTIONS TERMINATINGIN A CONTINUOUS FACE PORTION; A PRONG-SUPPORTING SECTION OF GENERALLYT-SHAPED CONFIGURATION EXTENDING FROM THE FRONT WALL PORTION TO A PLANEINWARDLY OF SAID FACE PORTIONS; A PLURALITY OF RIB SEGMENTS IN SUPPORTOF THE PRONGSUPPORTING SECTION; FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTOR PRONGS AND AGROUND PRONG RIGIDLY MOUNTED ON THE PRONG-SUPPORTING SECTION ANDPROJECTING BEYOND SAID FACE PORTION; SAID PRONGS BEING ARRANGED IN APATTERN CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF THE PRONG-RECEPTIVE SOCKETS IN A THREEHOLE HIGH VOLTAGE RECEPTACLE; FIRST AND SECOND LONGITUDINALLY SPACEDELECTRICAL OUTLET CONSTRUCTIONS PROVIDED IN THE PRONG-SUPPORTINGSECTION, EACH OUTLET CONSTRUCTION INCLUDING A SPRING CONDUCTOR CLIP ANDA SIMILAR GROUND CLIP; ELECTRICAL CONTINUITY MEANS BETWEEN THE FIRSTCONDUCTOR PRONG AND THE CONDUCTOR CLIP OF THE FIRST OUTLET CONSTRUCTION;